Enchantress of Florence

Enchantress of Florence -- Salman Rusdhie The book is brilliant, in it's premise and scope. The east meets west is not a new concept. Rushdie gives the concept a new treatment. The "Westerner" Mughal of Love arriving at the court of the real grand Mughal the Emperor Akbar, claims to be the son of east. The story of Qara Koz flows from there. Enchanting many courts and questions. The story goes back and forth between Emperor's court and Qara Koz's life in past. But many anitcipations created by the foretellings in the story like

Without water we are nothing. Even an emperor, denied water, would swiftly turn to dust. Water is the real monarch and we are all its slaves.

fizzle out when they materialize. The Enchantress is just a magic trick and Florence, mere prop. Actually Rushdie's Ephemeral Jodha is more real than Qara Koz. Even the final solution for age difference is such a let down. His wordplay like HatyaPaul and Nabab of Kuch Nahin is delightful. Rushdie's brilliance is in his seamless weaving of history and myth. His musings more powerful than the characters they are attributed to. So I enjoyed the book like a virtuoso performance of the master player, never forgetting his brilliance but never getting engaged in the story forgetting his craftsmanship either.

Witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits or magic wands. Language upon a silvered tongue affords enchantment enough